Addressing the elephant in the room

Lebron James wants to promote Equality in NBA, risking his brand to be leagues Colin Kaepernick

Equality is defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. The NBA season opened Tuesday night with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. With all of the attention that Colin Kaepernick has gotten in the NFL Lebron James the NBA’s biggest star has decided to bring the cause of Social justice and equality to the NBA.

The problem is the NBA commissioner has balls. And the NBA has a rule against foolishness like kneeling during the National Anthem. So the Cleveland Cavaliers linked arms and sported special made Nike shoes with Equality embroidered on the back of the shoe.

James has been open about his goal of bringing the kind of social activism, seen in the National Football League, to the NBA, telling reporters at the Cavaliers’ media day last week that he was working to find a way to incorporate some form of political statement into his play, even if NBA rules don’t allow pre-game protests.

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“I will in my voice, I will in my passion, I will in my money, I will in my resources to my youth and my inner city and outside my inner city to let these kids know that there is hope, there is greater walks of life, and not one individual, no matter if it’s the president of the United States … can stop your dreams from becoming a reality,” James said in Sports Illustrated.

Instead of taking a knee as the NFL has done the Cavaliers chose to lock arms. Lebron seems to have a more positive goal in raising awareness. He is contributing to causes through the Lebron James foundation that will help the underprivileged in Cleveland. The foundation has given 41 million to send kids to college. Why would Lebron James risk his brand to be the next Colin Kaepernick?

Equality is what I do not understand. Lebron James according to Forbes will earn $86 million in 2017, including a $31.2 million salary and a whopping $55 million in product endorsements. He has a net worth of $400 million. The Cleveland Cavaliers payroll for 2017 is 137 million dollars. And the team is mostly black. How much more equality does Lebron want?

The Boston Celtics did not participate in any demonstration in the game. But it is clear Lebron James intends to be the Colin Kaepernick of the NBA and promote equality and social justice.